Just a thought

Tonight I was on the river and caught some 3 to 4 pound channel and blue cats and I kept them. Now I don't know if this has been talked about but why don't we has BOC members set a weight limit on fish you keep. I have some friends and famliy that will keep fish in the 30+ range. I know that we can not police everybody but, it is time to save the fishery. I was thinking out there how there is a foundation for everything i.e. elk, deer,pheasants, anything that can be hunted or caught. I am sure that catfish have an group that tries to help but, I don't know about it. I hunt and fish for about everything that is on water or land and I have not heared about an group that is only for the good of catfish. I wonder in 20 or 30 years if our children will be able to go out and enjoy the fishing we are? If we, and you know who you are, keep killing really big fish we will destory the balance of the fish we so love catching. A 20lb catfish in most waters took a long time to get to that weight and we can not keep killing fish in the 20lb+ range and think that we will catch them always. Sorry if I am getting high and mighty but, I think alot when I am on the river. On a lighter note, I think the fish are hitting better. We were catching them in 24-30 feet of water on the MO river with worms( could not catch bait for the life of us, and just kicked back with a cold one)

Well Jess, there are some folks here that will argue with you until they're blue in the face that it's their right to keep any legal fish they catch whether 1 lb or 100 lbs. And they're right. For now.

Recently, a gentleman posted his catch of three blues in the 30-40+ lb range, along with 20 or so "smaller" blue cats from below Truman Dam. Which ones did he keep? That's right -- the three trophies. (By the way, I tried to reference that post, but it's no longer found?!?!).

We need trophy management. Missouri is one of the leaders in blue catfish conservation and species management, but I think more stringent steps will be required. Then again, people are always going to break the rules when it favors them or when they have nothing else to do. Thanks for your thoughts on this, I for one appreciate them -- and so will my kids and their kids.

We need trophy management. Missouri is one of the leaders in blue catfish conservation and species management, but I think more stringent steps will be required.

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We wouldn't need more rules if Missouri catfish anglers were better educated and more responsible stewards of our catfish resource.

But until you can get folks to realize that taking 3 or 4 huge fish in one night is harmful to the fishery, regardless of whether it's legal or not, nothing is going to change.

There are several problems to be overcome as I see them:

* Some view catfish purely as a food resource: Eat everything you catch, no matter the size. They consider it "wasteful" to put a live fish back in the water.

* Some think the resource is endless: It doesn't matter if I keep these big catfish; there are zillions more out there just like it.

* Some still think that the only way to measure the success of a fishing trip is in the number of dead fish you can pose with in a photo -- a "real man" doesn't release a big fish; he parades it around town on the tailgate of his truck.

Just because you grew up keeping every fish you caught doesn't mean it's the right thing to do today. Especially with resources like the BOC helping even the most novice catfish angler be far more successful. Unfortunately, the impact of taking large fish again and again won't be felt immediately -- it'll take several years for the decline in fish populations to become evident. And by then it may be too late to turn things around.

I used to be the type that wouldn't presume to tell another man what to do with the fish he caught, but then I started seeing report after report of big fish taken this spring below Truman Dam, with photos obviously indicating that those fish weren't going to swim away. And now I'm ready to sound the alarms -- something must be done to stop the raping of this wonderful resource.

So you can count on me doing everything I can to help educate folks as to the impact their choices have on the catfish resources of this state, whether it's here on the BOC or out on the water. And I'm sure to ruffle some feathers along the way, but if it helps even one person become a more responsible fisherman, it's worth the effort.

And if education doesn't work, the next step is to lobby for more restrictive regulations in our trophy catfish waters. But that process is slow and inefficient at best, so education really is our best hope for now.

Let us not forget that the "pan-sized" kitty tastes much better :wink:

I know which post you are referring to Cube and I did have a really hard time bitting my lip. I certainly hope some will think twice before harvesting that next 25#+ fish then bragging about it to the BOC. I would understand if that fish is what was going to feed your family their next meal, and if it weren't for that fish you'd starve but if that were the case shouldn't you go after the smaller cats sense there are more of them and easier to catch?

Release the 30+#'ers so my son can catch it when he's older and release it for his kids to catch 30 years later...

In all seriousness, I probably jumped the gun by sidestepping the educative approach. Maybe the common sense approach will work (kill big fish bad take picture good) I just hope we don't see a major dent in trophy population before it achieves positive traction.

But then again, if everyone would just start fishing the way that *I* do, we wouldn't be having this problem. It's hard to keep those trophy fish if you never catch them to begin with.
:smile2:

I believe most folks want to brag so bad they dont think about the future. Let alone the fish. Most guys dont have a live well that is suited for a big to keepit alive in the first place. I usually always carry digital camera, if not I do have a live well that can keep a couple big fish long enough to get home and back. (but I do only live 20 mins from the river.) Keep spreading the word sooner or later someone will hear us!!!!!!!

I would like to reply to this post about peoples right to keep what is legally caught but the boc will just remove the post because it differs from the boc beliefs. its the boc site and they have the right to remove posts. I fish for big cats and I practice catch and release. I would like to see a length limit for cats state wide of all cats between 24 to 34 inches be released.

I used to be one of those that kept everything I caught until I became a BOC member and read many of the posts related to catch and release (I can only say that I've caught one big fish over 20lbs. anyway). Just wanted to let you guys know that what you say on this site does make a difference because I now carry a disposable camera with me!

Hey guys, I got to thinking about the different ways we can educate at least our local fisherman on the ways of catch and release,and I thought of something I would like your opinion on. I'm not sure what avenues to take to get this done but, what if there were a way to get the State's permission to post permenant signs at some of the most frequently used boat ramps and fishing accesses? If we all knew how to get this done, then members can vollunteer to post signs in their immediate area. I've seen signs like this posted by local bass clubs asking to keep the smaller fish under the slot limit. Why couldn't we do something like that?
Like I said, I don't know much about this type of action, but maybe someone can explain to me why we couldn't do this, or how we can.

i think education will be the key factor in this. we just need to figure out how to do this on a large scale level. posting signs at regular hot spots is just going to invite vandalisim for every teenager out of his mind on some mood altering substance. i personally think we need to come up with a couple ways to get the message out to secure trophy fishing for everybodys future in the sport.think of someway to draw attention media wise to the subject and the right person might notice.i myself never keep anything over 10#s but i also hardly go to the river, so the chance of me catching a trophy is slim. you know just i got to thinking about trophys and this is the same situation of taking a large mature buck instead of a doe, so here is a solution put big antlers on those big asian carp and let all the tophy killers catch them. then we can make a big deal about somebody catching a fish that big and how it is so cool yada,yada, yada. asian carp gone, big buck still in the woods, and the PICTURE of your big trophy on the wall where it belongs. i know a picture isnt the real thing ,but a picture is better than a story any day of the week.

Well what do ya know, we ask they do. This is at least a start.Anglers invited to public meetings on catfish management

The Missouri Department of Conservation plans to hold four meetings July 31 through Aug. 16 in central Missouri to get anglers' thoughts about how to manage catfish in parts of the Lamine and Missouri Rivers. For more information, call (573) 884-6861 or visit www.missouriconservation.org. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) Come and tell the Conservation Department your desires for catfish management in the Missouri River and one of its tributaries.

JEFFERSON CITY- If you are a Missouri River angler and like chasing monster blue cats or enjoy a meal of fresh flathead catfish, the Missouri Department of Conservation wants to know your thoughts on the statewide catfish management plan's proposed management strategy for these catfish. You can express your preferences at one of four meetings in central Missouri or send your ideas by mail or e-mail.

The Conservation Department has been conducting field research for several years to lay the foundation for effective, science-based catfish management. With much of the needed data in hand, the agency is nearly ready to launch a pilot study of new catfishing regulations on an 82-mile section of the Missouri River from Glasgow to Jefferson City and on the Lamine River from its confluence with the Missouri River to Hwy. 50 in Morgan County. Also included in tentative plans is the 6.2-mile section of the Blackwater River from Blackwater Access downstream to its confluence with the Lamine River.

First, however, the agency wants to let anglers know what experimental regulations are under consideration and find out what anglers think of them.

Fisheries Field Operations Chief Rich Wehnes said the agency wants to hear from anglers To involve anglers in the process, the Conservation Department has scheduled the following meetings, each to run from 7 to 9 p.m.
--July 31 at Boone Electric Cooperative, Columbia.
--Aug. 7 at Laura Speed Elliott Middle School, Boonville.
--Aug. 9 at Glasgow High School, Glasgow.
--Aug. 16 at Marshall High School in Marshall.

"Our statewide catfish plan called for investigating the potential for improving the size of catfish in the Missouri River and its tributaries," said Wehnes. "As a result of the first round of catfish plan meetings four years ago, we've focused on a 82-mile reach of the Missouri and its tributary, the Lamine River. Some portions of the catfish population here are getting hit pretty hard."

Wehnes said the Conservation Department is particularly interested to learn angler reactions to the kinds of fishing regulations that might be possible to improve the population and maybe even develop a trophy fishery. Two options under consideration are limiting the harvest by reducing the daily limit or imposing a minimum length limit.

He said the Conservation Department's experience with other fish species, such as largemouth bass and crappie, provide strong evidence that catfish populations can be improved "Anglers have an important role to play in the success of such a project," Wehnes said.

For a meeting agenda or a copy of the statewide Catfish Management Plan, contact the Missouri Department of Conservation, Central Regional Office at (573) 884-6861 or visit www.missouriconservation.org. Anglers who are unable to attend the meetings can call the same phone number to comment or use the online comment form at www.mdc.mo.gov/contact/.

Great Post Jess. Folks, here is your chance to be heard and have a say in the future of our catfisheries. A very large turnout of anglers would make a statement if nothing else. We can discuss the "issues" and get a feel for how everyone stands, and go forward with our hopes and desires during the meetings. I will do my best to be there, and be heard even though I dont fish the Missouri much.

Paul, Eric, Any chance we can make this a sticky to drum up support for the meetings? After all, I believe this is a chance for the BOC to show support for the preservation and perpetuation of our 3 big Catfishes.

Ok guys, you got me. In mt avatar are 2 large fishthat we caught and kept. Until I caught these fish and posted the catch on this site I had never really thought about catch and release. You hear about it all the time concerning bass and crappie but never catfish. I want you all to know that you have educated me and have made me a catch and release guy. We just released a 45 lb flattie saturday night.

Good deal. I never realized that people actually released fish, either, till I got to this site. My family pretty much ate everything we caught growing up. It was kind of cool that I found this site about the time I started fishing again and it made me realize that the picture would last a long time. Also never thought about how long it took a fish to get big. Doesn't hurt that I'm generally too lazy to clean them, either....:big_smile:

i think it great that you guys are trying to help the future of catfishing by catch and release, but from what i have herd we need to figure out how to stop people from noodleing, hogging, grabing or what ever you want to call it. i know theirs all ready a law aginst it, but i hear about people catching masive flats all the time. i mean their pulling the fish off the nests and kill thousands of baby fish befor the get a chace. from what i understand the fine isnt that big somebody said its only like $125. i went in bass pro the other day and seen a movie called girls gone grabing. it was a movie about it. it showed them pulling the fish off the nest. i know it some states allow it, but i just cant see how. i would think that over the years it would hurt the flats more than catch and release. dont get me wrong i think catch and release is a good thing.